Wheels of Dawn
by Risa McDohl
Summary: Suikoden V; The prince thought Lyon had died in his arms. Prince x Lyon. Oneshot.


**Title:** Wheels of Dawn

**Author:** Risa

**Pairing:** Prince/Lyon

**Rated:** K+

**Disclaimer:** Suikoden belongs to Konami, but my heart belongs to Suikoden.

**Word Count:** ~1,850

**Summary:** The prince thought Lyon had died in his arms.

The prince thought Lyon had died in his arms.

Everything happened in a blur, and when her entire body went cold and dead he could feel his heart drop with her body. Dolph had been quick, and he hit one of her vitals. She couldn't speak, couldn't move. All she could do was fade.

She was always there for him, for as long as he could remember. It seemed so natural for her to be by his side, even from their initial meeting. Sol-Falena had been hit with a violent storm and a bout of flooding the year Lymsleia was born. Homes and shops were crushed and washed away, residents and crops drowned, it was one of the most tremendous known natural disasters to hit the capital. To make matters worse the group Nether Gate had sent some of its rookie assassins in to take the lives of certain nobles in the confusion. It was a lot for the Queen's Knights to handle, on top of taking care not to be swallowed by the violent waves themselves. That was the day the prince's father, Farid, found her.

For the longest time the prince thought she was an orphan that had lost her family in the storm, because that's what his father had told him. His mother seemed reluctant to accept Lyon into the castle, but she seemed sad, scared, and alone. When Lymsleia was born he vowed to be the best big brother that he could be. He wasn't allowed to rule the Queendom because he was a boy, and boys didn't become queens, so all he could do was train to become strong so that he could protect his sister. Lyon was going to be like another sister that he could protect, so he wanted Lyon to stay with them at the castle no matter what. Queen Arshtat agreed reluctantly, and found soon after that her decision had been the correct one. Since Lyon had come to stay her and the prince were inseparable friends. Family even, though that didn't mean Lymsleia didn't cut in on their time once she got old enough to walk and talk. She grew into a very outspoken and insistent child with a big brother complex, and Lyon accepted it. The prince had no idea that while he occupied his time with little Lym, Lyon was off in the castle sparring with the knights. She was an incredible fighter, good enough to knock aside the body guards, and even render the Queen's Knights speechless.

She couldn't be his little sister forever, because she simply wasn't his little sister, the princess was. Farid saved her life. She was supposed to slit the throat of the wife of Barows, but when she saw the floods and the chaos she was just too afraid. Also, she had never taken the life of a person. She was forced to take the lives of animals as practice, and they wouldn't let her eat if she didn't hit all of them. She was a gifted warrior and had a lot of spirit, but it was wrong. It was not a life worth living, and Lyon didn't care if she lived or died, as long as she ran. That was when the commander of the queen's knights caught up with her, intending to kill her no doubt. All she could do was scream. She dropped her knife along the way, so she couldn't even defend herself. She wanted it all to go away. All of it.

And Farid saw that. She was no assassin. She was as much a victim as anyone else who had lost their lives and loved ones. He could have left her behind. He could have killed her. He probably would have been better off for the latter. Despite it all, he chose to take her in. She owed him and the prince her life, because they both saved her, and they both showed her what it meant to laugh and smile and love. She never thought herself worthy of such a life. Nether Gate always treated her as a tool since the day they had taken her in, but she wasn't a tool. Not their tool, anyway. Her life revolved around doing the bidding of others, and she wished to put that to good use. The prince was becoming old enough to travel Falena on his own as an acting diplomat. The public was very taken by him, which was understandable given what a kind and intelligent person he was.

Lyon, too, was very taken by him. So much so that she wished to protect him, as he had protected her. He protected her from her nightmares, her memories, her sadness, her discord; wiped away her tears, and told her that he would always be there for her. He meant it, too. He meant for her to spend the rest of her life by his side, and she chose to do just that. Moreso, she chose to center her life around his well-being. While he entertained his sister, or studied fighting, politics, and etiquette, Lyon sharpened her fighting skills. At thirteen she was told that she had heart. At fourteen she was told that she had skill. At fifteen she was told that she had what it took to become a fully-fledged Queen's Knight. At sixteen she had become a queen's knight apprentice, as well as the prince's bodyguard.

"I'm not so sure about this," said the prince, unhappy with Lyon's promotion. She was his little sister before Lym had usurped his attention. He intended to protect her from anymore heartbreak or disaster, though her being the bodyguard put her in the position of protector. Granted there wasn't much to protect him from. He wasn't a bad fighter himself, not to mention Sol-Falena was mostly safe. Armes was on the other side of the country, and everything was pretty peaceful. There was undoubtedly some corruption in the capital. His father, aunt Sialeeds, and friend Kyle, a queen's knight, kept no secrets from him. The prince knew that, along with Lyon, those were three of the most trustworthy people that he knew. Even so, if the Godwins or Barows caused any trouble he wouldn't stand for it. He was just worried that, at the off chance something did go wrong, Lyon might be put in a situation where she had to lay her life on the line for him.

She made it very clear to him that she would not change her mind, and to trust in her skills. Granted, these were skills the prince had tried to ignore. He heard the talk of the castle, about Lyon being able to hold her own against the body guards and the queen's knights. She completely wore Miakis out, which was nuts seeing as the prince never made Miakis break a sweat, tried as he might. In order to assess Lyon's strength he had a one-on-one spar against her, and much to his displeasure she not only wore him out, she didn't break a sweat either. Her strength was on par with that of Miakis, who would become a queens knight soon. The prince didn't see that coming, but with strength like that he not only knew that he was going to be all right, but that she was going to be all right as well. He had complete faith in her, and was able to relax with her by his side again.

That was, until she died in his arms. It was a scenario that he dreaded so much, so much that he couldn't even think of it. He especially wouldn't let such a thought cross his mind after the assassination of his parents. It was too much. His sister was being used by the Godwins. It was difficult enough imagining what she was forced to go through. In fact, it was unbearable. He wanted her out of there that he would stop at nothing to free her from the Godwins, even if it cost him his life. What he failed to remember was that throwing his life away meant throwing away Lyon's first. She made good on her promise to protect him and took a knife to the back for him.

She was so frail beneath him. Normally she was so strong. She was undoubtedly stronger than he was, even though he bore the Dawn Rune. She had a better sense for battle, having been forced into that sort of life since as long as she could remember. He was shocked when he found out that she had once been a member of Nether Gate, but at the same time everything made sense. Her strength, her will, her insistence on protecting him. Also, the sadness and the nightmares she had when she first became part of the castle. He thought that she just missed her parents, but all along. All along she was forced into a lifestyle that simply didn't suit her. She was much too kind. Too kind, too gentle, too pretty, too good a person. Lyon didn't belong in any of that mess. When she asked him if he could still trust her, he didn't even hesitate. Sure, she had hidden the truth from him, but it wasn't like he had ever bothered to ask. He wanted her to be a part of his family, and not think about ever leaving them. He just loved her like that.

He loved her so much, more than anything really. It was beyond familial, beyond friends, beyond anything he knew. It was a fact that was so natural that he didn't have to face it directly. It was simply a part of his every day; however, he had no idea just how strong her grasp on his heart was. He never questioned it. When her blood leaked through his clothes and she blacked out all the prince could do was weep and wish, with everything that he had, that she would hang on. It was important for her to hang on. If he lost her, then he would lose himself. Even if his body and his mind functioned, no other part of him could. Not his heart, not his will, not his strength. He couldn't do it alone. He couldn't be anything without Lyon.

The Dawn Rune was able to heed that message, deciding on its own that Lyon's life was a necessary key in bringing order back to the land. With all the power that rune was able to muster it closed off Lyon's critical wound; however, the blood loss and the trauma were too great, and the rune just wasn't strong enough on its own to do anymore. All else was up to the prince, and now that Lyon's life was spared his strength of heart was not only healed, but restored ten-fold. He, too, was a protector, and was at the peak of his strength when he used his skills and his strength to help those that he cared for.

END


End file.
